William Donohue: entertainment industry's smearing of Christians "somewhat analogous" to South African apartheid

On Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto, William Donohue claimed that Comedy Central's South Park creators are using their popular television show to attack the Christian majority, which is "somewhat analogous to what we had in South Africa, where the majority of the people who were black were dumped on by white racists." Donohue described those parodying Christianity as "secular supremacists" who "have it out against the 85 percent of the population that is Christian."

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On the April 14 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto, William A. Donohue, president of the conservative Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, claimed that certain people in the entertainment industry, such as Comedy Central's South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, are using their popular television shows to attack the Christian majority, which is "somewhat analogous to what we had in South Africa, where the majority of the people who were black were dumped on by white racists." Donohue described those parodying Christianity as "secular supremacists" who "have it out against the 85 percent of the population that is Christian."

Donohue singled out South Park because, during Easter week, the show aired a two-part episode that featured an image of Jesus defecating on President Bush and the U.S. flag. The creators of the show substituted the Jesus image in protest over Comedy Central's refusal to allow them to run an image of the Prophet Muhammad. Donohue argued that shows such as South Park "don't like the idea that liberty means the right to do what you ought to do."

As Media Matters for America has noted, Donohue frequently attacks gays, progressives, and non-Christians as a guest on Your World and other news programs.

From the April 14 edition of Your World With Neil Cavuto

CAVUTO: So, it's fair game to go after Jesus but not, virtually, any other?

DONOHUE: Well, this has been the course with so many comedians today, Penn Gillette, Bill Maher, Parker and Stone over at South Park. They continually go after Christianity and they give a pass to others. Look, I don't want to see the day when the only way you can stop the bigots is to call for beheadings. That's what would happen to these bums if they were over in some other country.

CAVUTO: But they know, as well. To be fair, let's say that Comedy Central and the parent, Viacom -- I mean, they have to be aware of the fact that the [Prophet] Muhammad cartoons caused violence and riots the likes of which they hadn't expected or seen, so, maybe, the networks are just playing it safe and protecting their own people.

DONOHUE: Why can't they do it on the basis of ethical principle? If it's wrong to insult Muslims, and it is, and Jews and Christians, shouldn't it be on the basis that insult is wrong? Why is it OK then to push the envelope with Christians who won't call for your beheading, but you're going to give Muslims a pass because they might? What kind of a statement is that? It's a statement of cowardice. They're lacking principle.

CAVUTO: But why -- but, here's another step, though. Why don't you just say that's why we did it -- because we do this, Muslims get offended, and they might kill us. We do it to Christians, they're not going to do it, because they won't.

DONOHUE: Well, I think that's exactly the point. And that's why --

CAVUTO: So, if they said that, then you'd be happier?

DONOHUE: No, I wouldn't be happier. But, I'm simply saying this: why not exercise a degree of moral restraint when it comes to Christianity? Show us some respect. You shouldn't ask for violence before you get people to act. Ultimately, these people are cowards, and they are hypocrites.

CAVUTO: Where is this all going?

DONOHUE: Well, this -- where this is going is that it's a field day on Christianity and on Catholicism in particular, because the Catholic Church believes that freedom means the freedom you should -- the right to do what you ought to do, and we live in a society with license.

CAVUTO: But you've expanded this, to be fair, way beyond just the Catholic community. You think Christians period are being targeted by groups like this that allow them to make fun of their --

DONOHUE: That's right, and, you know, it's funny because we're -- 85 percent of the population is Christian in this country. Sometimes, I feel like we have an inverse situation here, somewhat analogous to what we had in South Africa, where the majority of the people who were black were dumped on by these white racists. Here, we have a small segment of the population, I call them the "secular supremacists," and they have it out against the 85 percent of the population who's Christian, because they don't like the idea that liberty means the right to do what you ought to do. They believe in license.

CAVUTO: You're one of the few who's ranting and raving about this, and I don't hear it from the Catholic Church, I don't hear it from the Protestant Church, I don't hear it from the Baptists, I don't hear it from other groups who should be equally offended, but aren't. Is there a silence -- what's deafening here?

DONOHUE: I think there's a certain -- there are a number of good advocacy groups out there. There is a reluctance on the part of Catholic hierarchy to speak out. That's because they dirtied themselves with the scandal, and they think the way to handle this is to shut up, except when it came to immigration. Now, whatever one might think of [Los Angeles Archbishop] Cardinal [Roger] Mahony and some of the others about immigration, at least they had the moral courage to speak out. The only way the Catholic Church will get its prestige back is to address contemporary moral issues. And yes, there should be bishops speaking out about South Park.

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